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Trying to conceive

MysTri Mum4 Comments

This is an article that I wrote on Helium.I was thinking of writing about this for a long time..and when I wrote this article on Helium,I decided to post it here as well.To view my Helium profile,go Here

Here goes-
Trying to conceive-Irregular cycles.

So,you are happy together and are ready to take your relationship a step further.You decide to get pregnant.Thats the easy part.The most stressful period of a couples life is when they are trying to concieve.Even the healthiest of couples can have trouble falling pregnant and need to be patient.But its hard to remain patient.We expect our bodies to work as we want them to.If you are lucky and belong to the class of 70 % women,who have regular menstrual cycles,your work is easy.Monitor your cycle for the first few months,get an ovulation predictor kit or study the pattern of your body,have intercourse on the right days,and with luck,you will soon be pregnant.
But,if you belong to the 30% women who have irregular cycles then the chances of your getting pregnant reduce and the levels of stress increases.The increased stress in turn wrecks havoc in the woman’s body,messing up her cycle and in turn increasing the stress levels again.Its a vicious cycle. But you have to remember as irregular as your cycles are,there is a pattern to the madness.
When you decide to try to get pregnant,the first step to follow should be observing your cycle.So,may be you don’t get your period every month,but get it every other month-Try to figure out a pattern.Its is quite possible that you have a longer cycle than normal and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Once you start tracking your dates,you will overcome the uncertainity and be better aware of your body.It may take more than 2-3 months to understand your cycles.
Next step is to determine if you are ovulating or not.Its probably a good idea to consult a doctor for this one.In fact,it is recommended that you go for a pre-pregnancy check up,before you start trying to get pregnant.These checkups can open the doors to a lot of information.Make sure you ask your doctor,all the doubts,that you may have.At the same time,remember to not be bogged down by the big medical terms.
If it turns out that you have irregular cycles because you have trouble ovulating,your doctor should be able to suggest a treatment for that.Most gynaecologist,these days believe that losing 5% of the body weight can bring on ovulation,without any prescription medication in about 90% women.If that doesn’t work then,there are ways to induce ovulation.
Alternatively,it helps immensely to be in sync with your body.It is a very good idea to take sometime to know your body,before jumping into any kind of treatment.Making notes about your body,everyday,can help you establish a pattern and thus understand your body and cycles better.Meditation and yoga are very beneficial too.
Be patient and be open to alternative treatments too.And lastly,if you think,you need medical or professional help,don’t hesitate to ask for it.
Disclaimer-This is just information,that I have gathered from the internet,books,and other sources and is in no way,meant to replace medical or professional care.
I will be writing more on this and similar topics..in the meantime,if you want to take it offline,email me..
Ciao,my lovelies,more later.

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Conversations from Aadyaland

MysTri Mum20 Comments


Overheard in Aadyaland
Imagine a pint-sized person,saying “Hey! stop it!” to you.Trust me its hillarious.The pint-sized terror,who rules Aadyaland,tells us,very firmly,”Hey stop it”-

when we are tickling her.
“Hey mom,be careful,dont bump into me” -when we are walking in the park
“Hey dad,don’t talk to my FAMILY! -when dad and mom are talking. Family??
*******************

“Mom,I want XYZ”. on being asked,why she wants it..the answer is clear-
“Because”,a girl of few words she is.So,naturally I say no-because,because isnt good enough!So,she promptly goes and take XYZ..By now I am fuming..
“Why did you take that?” I yell..She just looks at me,calmly and says..
“Mom,actually..I need it!” What am I supposed to answer then??
**************************
“Mommm?”..
“Yes Princess”
“No,I am not your Princess..I am Tuku Masi’s Princess”,she frowns..and continues in the same beat..”Actually,I am your betu Shonu..and I am papa’s baby”.
***********************
DH asked Aadi,today,”Where is my baby?”
She turns his back towards him..and says,”here’s your ulta baby!!” [Ulta= upside down or opposite in hindi]..The only time we have used the word ulta is,when

she wearing her shoes on the wrong foot or her clothes inside out!
***********************
I was on the phone with my grandma,Aaji.Aadi heard me and said,”I want to talk to Aaji”..the first thing she said to Aaji,”aaji,kaay Kartey?” without

prompting..Its the first thing I say to her..”hi Aaji,kaay kartey?” hehe..and then she went on to tell Aaji about her day..about how she colored and painted..and

then,”Aaji,don’t worry,I will go outside and paint..Not inside the house! you get a gift for me..oh wait,Upsy-daisy wants to talk to you,Aaji..Achchaaaaaaa she is

saying..Aaji you get a gift for me also”.
************************

Friend S was playing with Aadi..Aadi was pretending that Friend S is her baby.
Aadi-“Come her baby..come on munnu shonu let Mumma comb your hair.”
Me- Pouting..”Ohh I thought,I was your Munnu Shonu”
Aadi-*without missing a beat,”Achcha achcha,dont be sad,dono mere munnu shonu hai!” [both of you are my babies]
********************

This one has me baffled..Friend R is pregnant..and they visited last weekend.She was lying down and Aadi was jumping on the bed..My heart was in my mouth.I told her sternly to stop jumping,she could hurt aunty R. She got upset and was sulking.So,I held her close and told her,AuntyR had a baby in her tummy and if she fell on auntyR,then baby will get hurt.She understood.Then,she sat down next to R and started talking to her tummy,telling the baby,don’t worry,I will not hurt you..I will share my toys with you.I will be your Didi..Friend R asked her,is the baby a boy or a girl?She said boy.R told her,ohh I wish it was a girl.Here’s what Aadi did then..She looked up and said,Excuse me Jai Jai bappa,Aunty R wants a girl..so ek sec..she paused to raise Friend R’s tee and pulled out imaginary baby and raised her hand to the ceiling..here..jai jai bappa,take this boy and give a girl.Then,she tucked in the girl in R’s tummy and pulled her t-shirt down!
All this happened so fast.I was still trying to think,what I feel about it.It is so heartbreakingly sweet on one hand..and on the other,it is so intense.It makes me want to reach out to her and hold her close..and put us both in a time warp!

Ohh its raining babies in our world..friends,cousins announcing pregnancies and deliveries..So,how can the little diva not have a say?She tucks in her little Teddy inside her T-shirt and tells us,”Look I have a baby in my tummy..” I have tried explaining to her,that she cant have a baby in her tummy..only mommies can..but..she still does it..this has been on since monday-we met Friend R on Sunday..Hopefully if we ignore it,she will stop doing it.What is the right way to deal with this?Any ideas,anyone?

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Bathroom singers start early

MysTri Mum10 Comments

Everyday,at bath-time,Aadi loves to play with her soap,a translucent bar of Pears Soap.And she insists on singing songs..sometimes,we scream tunelessly,sometimes,she insists on singing the song correctly.
One of her favorite songs is,the Meri Duniya song from Hey Baby..And we sing the chorus bit..”Oooo..oooo ” over and over till one of us doesn’t start laughing.
And another favorite song is-Pear Soap Jingle..”Dum da rum dum-dum..”it starts..today,at bath-time,this was her song of choice.I started singing and she said,”No I will sing” I said OK..this usually means,she prompts me to say my lines..she started “dumdadummdumm..Mumma you say now..”I said,Dumdarumdumdum..Babar ka beta?”
“Howru”,pat came the answer in highly accented english!
“No no baby..its Humayun”I told her..”haan Mom..Howru”
And Humayun ka? Atbar..ok atleast thats close!
I tried to get her to say it correctly,but she changed tracks.
The first time,I noticed Aadi singing,I was shocked and surprised..I mean,I didn’t expect the bathroom singing to start soo soon..But,it is cute,beyond doubt!

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Of New places and New Friends-Guest Post

MysTri Mum16 Comments

Its time for the next guest post.This one’s written by the Passionate Goof,known to most of us as the Goofy Mumma.
I was in India,when Aneela told me that another blogger is moving to Melbourne.Naturally I was thrilled and curious.GM got in touch and we exchanged emails and somehow there was no awkward pauses when we spoke.I remember being put at ease,instantly by her sweet tinkling voice..and I knew that the friendship,that I hoped for,when I first heard of her move,was going to bloom..:)We spoke a couple times,while in India and meeting up was the next step…Now,I will let GM tell you the rest…
Here’s presenting,the Goofy Mumma-

“Learning to live in a new place, can be a breeze if you have the right friends around you, said the great GM. 😉 After having moved toSharjah , where I knew absolutely no one, it took me ages to get a hang of the place, its workings, my likings and more. But Melbourne has been a different story from day one. From the moment I announced the move on my blog, the sweetest of people living here, dropped in mails, offering help and advice, and I am just putting it lightly, when I say I questioned them endlessly with all my queries.

Surprisingly enough, Trishna happened to be in Bombay at the same time, while I was there during my transition. She offered me so much information and help, that this tiny brain of mine could neither hold, nor process all of it, I think. She guided me on how to go about the BB’s vaccinations, evaluations, kinder and more. And then we talked some more, about blogs, bloggers we both read, our lives, and the people in it. Somehow the bond formed right then. Having spoken to her just a few times before, did not stop me from calling her up, and go ranting when I really needed to vent, and, she just so sweetly and patiently heard me out. I think I knew then, I had already found a friend in my new home-to-be.

Once I got here, the BB’s birthday was approaching, and as if taking it for granted, I invited Trish and family over, they came, and that is how we first met. And may I say, at the risk of being flung footwear at, I was smitten byAadi , and fell in love with her, more than Trish. She is such a sweet little girl, full of smiles, witty, sweet talk, and just such a loving little girl. I absolutely love that one. Trish, I noticed second, and liked just as much. Though this meeting was not really one, where we were sitting and chatting away to glory, having a heart to heart, but this was where we met. The next time was when we met up in the City, walked around, ate, chatted, and surprisingly for people just getting to know each other, found too many common things connecting us. From our spiritual ideas to our health concerns, there was just so much we had in common, besidesofcourse the very obvious, kids of almost the same age. And it is amazing how calm, and chilled out she remains even when under pressure, is the image I came back with from that meeting.

But, honestly I had the most fun over dinner at Trishna’s beautiful home, and not just because of the drool worthy food ofcourse. It was such an easy-to-be-in home. They are just such a friendly and informal bunch of people, its just so easy to be with them. The BB and Aadi hit it off like a house on fire, playing, laughing, screaming. Aadi, the lovely baby, started treating the BB like her pretend baby, and actually fed him with her own hands, and then wiped his face with her tissues. My boy completely enjoyed the attention ofcourse. Trish and I had loads to talk about, and did, while the husbands seemed to have hit it off well with each other too. It is such fun to find like-minded people who are just so so easy to be with. I just loved that evening spent at their home, and if there is one moment of the evening, that is forever etched in my mind, it was when we were leaving, and Aadi said, “BB, my friend. He should not go”, and she burst into tears. The sweet, loving little girl, so precious. God bless you my darling.

Its so wonderful knowing that I have a friend just a phone call away, who is always there, and who would not need too much explanation to understand me, nor do I fear being judged. And who is plain and simple honest. All this compounds, especially when in a new place, where I know very few people. Trish, thanks for being my sweet sweet friend.”

Thanks for writing this post,GM..It means a lot to me..here’s to a new friendship..which doesn’t seem so new anymore.5 months back,I didn’t know you or your blog..now,you are my feel-good call and the blog,is my morning coffee break!

oh and to read the first guest post by Aneela,go Here

Mumma's Kitchen · Recipe · Uncategorized

Spinach Pulav and Beetroot Raita

MysTri Mum11 Comments


This is one of my favorite dinner combination,especially on a friday night or on weekends.I love the colors it brings to the dinner table,making it festive right away. And both the dishes are loaded with vitamins.Its Diet Food,tasting like comfort food!
Without further ado,here are the recipes-

Spinach Pulav

Ingredients-
2 cups rice
2 cup chopped spinach
1 cup grate carrot
1 onion(medium sized) finely chopped.
1 green chili-chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tsps chopped corriander leaves
Cummin Seeds
Whole spices-(2-3 ,each)
{Cardamom,Clove,Pepper corn,Bay leaves}
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp corriander-cummin powder.
Oil 2 tsps
water-as required for the rice you are using.normally I use 3 cups,for my basmati,when making pulav.
salt to taste

Preparation-
Wash and soak rice for 10-15 minutes.
In a pan,heat oil,add cummin seeds and whole spices.Fry for a minute,add onions and saute’ till gold brown.Add ginger-garlic paste mix well and add the spinach and carrots,followed by rice,green chillies and corriander. Add all the spice powders and salt to taste.Add the water and bring it to a boil.Lower flame,cover and simmer till rice is cooked.
Garnish with onion rings and chopped corriander and serve hot with Raita and Papad.

Time required-20 mins plus chopping time.

Beetroot Raita-

Ingredients-
1 cup fresh low fat yogurt
1/4 cup boiled and grated beetroot
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 green chili finely chopped
1 tsp chopped corriander.
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cummin powder.

Preparation-Mix everything together.Serve chilled,with chapati,rice or even as a dip.

I am re-posting this because,this is my entry for the Combo event on Foodelicous.This is the first time,I am ever entering in a food-blog competition.

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I’ve been Awarded

MysTri Mum29 Comments

Shruti awarded me with-

And

And I am sooo thrilled.To get the best blog award from you means a lot to me,Shruti.Thanks..I am going to pass it right back to you!!And I am passing this to- Nima,Mayya,Rima and Patricia
And I award the Blogger Buddy award to some old friends and new-
Swaram,Meira,GM,Aneela,Asaaan,Sonia,Kiran,Dipali,comfortablynam,Rayshma,Monika,
2B’s mommy.There are so many more..but I am lazy to type and link up..So,if you are reading this.. remember you are my best blogger buddy.
More later,my lovelies…

Daddy's girl · Happy Times · Melbourne · parenting · play-time · Tales from Aadyaland · Uncategorized · Weekend..

Partners-in-Crime

MysTri Mum10 Comments


Its the long weekend and its raining.We are just having a lazy weekend.I woke up at 12.00*gasp* and the father-daughter duo,didn’t wake me up,even once..*double gasp*
When I walked out of the room,I saw them both sitting on the couch,watching cartoons and giggling.It was such a sweet sight…I walked up to cuddle them..and was greeted with-“Mom I am hungry!” hmm yeah..thats life.
Later,when it started to rain,Aadi was excited and wanted to dance in the rain..DH has normally refuses to go out and get wet.He is a little shy,what will people say types..but today,he was totally under his daughter’s spell and the reluctant father,even went did a jig in the rain with her. He tried to get her to play in the backyard..but no she insisted the front..Poor guy,obliged.Sweet,I think.
Watching them together..I remembered another incident-Last week when we had the medical appointment,Aadi was very happy that dad was home and we were going out,subah-subah.I fed her brekky and got her ready and she wanted to sit in the car.We still had to get dressed and eat our breakfast. When I came out of the room,dressed..Aadi was already in her car-seat,and DH was sitting with her and they were talking.I called him for breakfast.He came inside,filled a plate and went right back,out! I was like WTH? He just turned and told me,”Oh she wants me to sit with her and eat..” All my irritation disappeared..how could it not?
I leave you with a picture of the partners-in-crime..watching the new TV,excitedly.The TV is nearly 1 year old now.

Ohh if you are in a mood for baking,check out my other blog .Posted the cookies and bread recipes.

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Paav-homemade buns

MysTri Mum2 Comments

If you have lived or visited Maharastra,then you will be familiar with Paav or bun paav to be precise.Its nothing but a dinner roll.Majority of mumbai’s office goers and students live on a staple diet of vada-paav and paav bhaji.Strangely,I was clueless about the existence of these two items,till I was 12..I think!
We didn’t live in Maharastra.We lived in a small town in Rajasthan,where even the bread had to be pre-ordered.The bread man used to go around the whole colony taking orders and go to the nearest big city and come back with a bag full of baked goodies. And even though,we visited the grandparents in Nasik,every year..eating out was not always on the top of the list.It was deemed better to spend money on mithati,fruits and clothes,than on eating out. But,Paav was always a favorite.
Paav is firmer than bread ,making it easier to dunk it in your drink..and eat,without the risk of it going all soggy.And there is no better breakfast than bun paav-butter and chai.
One of my resolutions this year is to eliminate store bought stuff and eat more and more home-made stuff.So,I started searching for Paav recipe and found this one over at Chakali’s.
Its amazing..the taste is just right.I left mine in the one,a little longer than required,hence they look all dried out..but the taste was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G..We couldn’t stop eaing and Aadi has been asking me to bake more bread since then.
I will definitely be making more of these..

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What’s on My Mind?

MysTri Mum9 Comments

Here’s a list of things on my mind today-
1.TGIF-Thank God its Friday.I thought this week would never end!Really it has been a long week.

2. Its going to be longggggggg day.I had planned on taking Aadya to the library for story-time.But,DH forgot to leave her stroller.We normally keep it in the car,because,madam wants to keep playing with it..pushing it all around the house.
3.How can I get Aadi to take a small nap- She took a long nap yesterday..nearly 3 and a half hours and then couldn’t sleep at night,despite 2 hours at the play-area.And she woke up at 8.00 today..she has been crying/irritable since morning.
4. If I hear her cry/whine,one more time,I will go MAD!!
5.How can I get her to take a nap..or is it even worth it?
6. Ways of making money..while,I stay at home with Aadi…There has to be a way.
7.I want to sew/crochet something.Its been so long.
8.What can I do to make some Money..ANY money..YEs..its been on my mind for sometime now.
9. Puppets for this month’s Artsy-craftsy.
10.Long Weekend Menu..We have a 3-day weekend this week..and I still want to avoid eating out.Thelast time we ate out was on my birthday.
11.Weight and weighing scale-I managed to lose some more weight..another 1/2 kg but,I had gained that much and more on my birthday weekend and the following week..so the lost pound doesnt count.And I am obsessed with my weighing scale..I check my weight atleast 4 times each day and I know I need help.
12.Aadya’s birthday party..I know its only at the end of the month and the party will be in April..but I am a planner..or atleast I like to think I am.I make big lists and stuff..That’s another story that all my plans don’t always work out.This calls for a separate post.
On that note,I will stop here.. have a nice weekend..
Ciao,my lovelies..more later!

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Happiness Ka Ek Rule-Guest Post

MysTri Mum6 Comments

Drumrolls Pleaseeeeeee…I present to you the first guest post…by Aneela

But before that,the reason why I asked Aneela..
When I first arrived in Melbourne,I was so lonely.I didn’t know anybody,except a couple from our initial married life..but they were busy with their life.I commented on Aneela’s blog and she got in touch with me,right away..and after a few failed attempts to meet,we ended up meeting in the city.You remember that Aneela?we had a nice time.But thats not the reason why she is so special to me.Aneela and G-man generously included us in their holiday plans with friends,making us feel more comfortable in a new place.If it wasn’t her calls and pep talk,I would have gone mad because this move was stressful in more ways than one. If I like/love Melbourne today,this woman has a major role to play!

Now,without further ado,here’s what Aneela has to say-

When Trishna requested me to come up with a guest post on How to Stay Happy, it was very difficult to reply to her email what with all the laughter in the background. The sound of laughter was from close family and friends who know all too well about my Naina Barse Rhim Jhim Rhim Jhim avatar and who over the years have marvelled over my Fine Art of Getting Into a Funk. The Pursuit of Happiness and to get out of this funk has been a non-stop battle for me over the years with the emphasis on as Will Smith’s character reminds us on the very act of pursuit.

So what have I learnt over the years? I have been told that Happiness is an Aberration, as in sorry for the brief lull in transmission, normal programming will resume soon. I was also exposed to the phir hum khush hoaayengey (And then We will be Happy and How can We be Happy? ) school of thought which is basically the anti-thesis of We Will Overcome declaring as it does that Life is an Endless game of snake and ladders and one can only be Happy in Heaven. There is also some stuff about endless rivers of wine and a full on“ may tully hogayee” program but that will come later

What have I done in the pursuit of happiness? This has ranged from the very Organized (As a teenager I would collect clippings of “happy things” –shades of Amelie. Knowing as you all do about how obsessive compulsive I am and the disease to “control” things, you will not be surprised to discover that I filed this shoe box collection in categories of “newspaper clippings about political boo boos”, “cartoons”, and “random funny stuff” . These were later graded leaving the really funny A Grade stuff for really depressing days and the relatively mediocre for an ordinary day …Im pretty sure my mother threw all that out when I moved on to uni and the world will never know my own version of chicken soup for the soul),

to the Imaginative (for a whole month I watched a Govinda starrer every evening, I was inspired by a woman who laughed her way through cartoons and cured her cancer. Don’t know about my chronic cold and air of gloom and doom but it sure cured my video rental guy’s blues who skipped happily all the way to the bank)

and the down right Silly (when disappointed by a particular election result I swore off reading op/eds and watching news programmes for a while).

My mother by the way has always been a firm believer of walking away your woes. I will tell her about a colleague who is bi-polar and struggling with meeting work deadlines and she will say nonsense, she needs loads of fresh air, get her out and about. I will tell her about a mysterious mole and she will query me about the last time I was out of the house in recent days. If it was not a question of her being a twinkle in her dad’s eye during the particular period I would have questioned her regarding advising Gandhi and his Salt Walk to Freedom.

And one fine day I discovered what our grand mothers were trying to tell us all along as they recited tales about the parrot which held the life of the djinn. Such a biiiggg giant and the puny prince could slay him by twisting the neck of the parrot (yikes!!). Quick phone call- to- our- local- RSPCA moment aside what our grand mothers were telling us were to search within us for our strength, our happiness rather than depending on The Relationship, That Handbag or This Job to do the task for us. Guys and girls will come and go, the child prodigy you hoped to raise will continue to stick his finger up his nose and ask Whattdatt? and our political leaders will continue to mess things up royally. But you dear reader can continue to be Defiantly Happy if you have learnt to be comfortable in your own company (a trait my dear partner-in-crime has taught me…to be an Indian with a Pakistani wife and an Australian son, a lesser soul would have renewed his life insurance policy twice over)

Next step deconstructing the cautionary note in the fairy tale of not looking back lest you turn to stone (and whats the happiness in that?). Seriously these old dames knew a thing or two.

Thanks Aneela,for making Melbourne feel like home & Thanks for writing this post 🙂